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\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nManitoba environmental groups are sounding the alarm about pollution in Lake Winnipeg even as they fight a legal battle U.S. mega dairy farms.<\/p>\n
The Manitoba Eco-Network and other environmental groups have been fighting the two proposed dairy farms for a year and a half. The coalition claims that phosphorus and nitrogen runoff from the waste produced by the proposed farms will flow up the river to the lake, creating toxic blue-green algae.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is that lake Winnipeg is very threatened from a number of sources and one more additive stress, the lake simply can\u2019t handle,\u201d said James Beddome, executive director, Manitoba Eco-Network.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ongoing, we\u2019re in administrative court in North Dakota, we\u2019ll have some arguments over the summer and what we\u2019re calling a drain is not a drain appeal.\u00a0 We continue to engage with experts, so we\u2019ve engaged with experts at the University of Manitoba, we also had another expert down in the states in Hillsboro.\u201d<\/p>\n
As it stands, the two projects are moving forward despite the legal challenge.\u00a0 The two proposed farms, located in Hillsboro and Abercrombie, North Dakota, would bring with them a combined 37,000 cows, but it isn\u2019t the only worry for the health of the lake.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese two projects are a concern, but there\u2019s a number of concerns on the watershed, including other agriculture developments here in Manitoba, drainage of wetlands, impacts from Hydro, impacts from the sewage systems,\u201d Beddome said.<\/p>\n
U of W student Allyza Tabirara is in her own fight to save the lake.\u00a0 As part of her Master of Science research that begins this fall, Tabirara is looking at reducing phosphorus in the Lake Winnipeg Basin<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of work needs to be done,\u201d Tabirara says. \u201cThe gist of my study is looking at drainage leakage, to see how much phosphorus could be stores in those drainage leakages, and how much that phosphorous can eventually be contributed back to Lake Winnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n
She agrees that the phosphorous levels are hitting the lake on multiple fronts, and is concerned that future generations could lose the lake for good if nothing is done.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very passionate about my work, I\u2019m very passionate about saving lake Winnipeg and red river and other aquatic bodies that we have here in Manitoba and I think if I can have a percentage maybe one or two per cent in helping stopping that problem, then it would be really meaningful for myself but also for the community,\u201d Tabirara said.<\/p>\n
In a statement to CityNews, Riverview LLP, the Minnesota-based agriculture company that proposed both dairy farms, said, \u201cOur dairies are designed and managed to meet or exceed strict environmental standards, and both the proposed North Dakota dairies underwent a thorough, science-based review by the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. These safeguards ensure that water quality and natural resources are protected at every stage of design, construction, and operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tDrone shot of Lake Winnipeg taken on May 22, 2024. (Steve Anderson, CityNews) <\/p>\n
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